Battle of Salmacis
"I’m going to need you to run strategic and tactical overview for combat. Do you think you can handle it?”In June of 3050, Clan Jade Falcon's invasion of the Inner Sphere reached Twycross. When they landed their assault, a small portion of their units which otherwise would not be engaged were dispatched to crush a mercenary outfit spotted near the Trellshire Heavy Industries facilities. This mercenary outfit, Priam Company, had previously rebuffed a small force which arrived earlier that month from a rival Clan. Along with this, they had a small amount of intelligence concerning the Clan invaders which helped construct a plan to evacuate their base and civilians which had sought shelter with them.
"I’m basically a goddamn tactical genius!"
The timely arrival of other forces changed the landscape of the coming battle, however. Captain "Hatchy" Hatchsune of Hatchy's Helpers arrived with her JumpShip "Namida" and a pair of Leopard-Class DropShips to assist with the evacuation. On top of this, a second JumpShip contracted to work with Rysel Industries arrived with two more Leopards, one of which contained a force of BattleMechs and combat vehicles. Finally, a Fortress-Class DropShip belonging to the Lord Commander Mason Garrilac offered a significant amount of defensive firepower and cargo capacity for the retreating mercenaries.
Commander Olivia Garrido thus was able to turn what could have been an incredibly expensive retreat into a firefight which would still go down in the outfit's records as one of their more harrowing experiences. With the tactical oversight of the Lord Commander, Commander Garrido was able to mitigate the losses and turn the retreat into a net gain for Priam Company. Despite this victory, Clan Jade Falcon would lay claim to Twycross within a week and resume their invasion shortly thereafter.
The Conflict
Prelude
"What forces dare defend this world from the steel talons of the Jade Falcon?"When Clan Jade Falcon planned out the invasion of Twycross, the unit which was trusted with this task was the Jade Falcon Guards. The size of this force was considerable, yet only a smaller portion was used to prosecute the invasion itself. During the course of arrival, it was noticed there was a mercenary outfit located separately from the militia forces defending the planet. A Trinary was dispatched to crush the mercenaries, though the assigned Echo Trinary was heavier on Elementals than 'Mechs. The reasoning was how it would be easier for Elementals, being the Clan answer to infantry, to neutralize the base defenses and root out entrenched defenders.
Unfortunately enough for the Jade Falcons, Commander Olivia Garrido had enough time to prepare Priam Company for combat. The presence of Hatchy's Helpers in orbit, and the Lord Commander allowed her to alter the original plans of covering an evacuation of civilians with a few hand-picked Lances of 'Mechs. Instead, she was able to obtain a defensive detail for the evacuating DropShips and artillery support from the Fortress-Class DropShip "Overlord". The capacity afforded by the latter also meant there was less of a chance of materiel being left behind for the invaders to seize.
Deployment
"Stick to the plan. The plan is good. If we stick to the plan, then more people get out of here alive than winding up on foot and probably dead."As soon as it was understood which direction the Jade Falcons were approaching from, Commander Garrido quickly scrambled her forces and ordered them to take cover for a potential ambush. Several locations had been pre-arranged for the artillery support to fire upon in the hopes of thinning the enemy forces. However, when only five 'Mechs and nearly a dozen unusual signals were detected, Commander Garrido was uncertain of what to believe. Five 'Mechs should be easily taken by her forces, but she couldn't afford to be cocky. Rather than change her plan before engaging in battle, she waited until the last possible moments to order the withdrawal.
In contrast, the Jade Falcon Guards were very cocky and deployed their approach in a wide net to attempt encircling the mercenaries' base. The Clans hold a very dim view of those who fight for money over honor, and thus far they remained unimpressed by the quality of Inner Sphere warriors as a whole. Thus they marched steadily into the combat area before moving at full speed to attack the retreating Priam Company.
This was, as Commander Garrido would call it later, their fatal mistake.
The Engagement
"Okay, folks, you know the drill. Cover the APCs on their way out, and focus targets as they are made available. Watch your heat, check your fire, and don't get in Kelly's way."The battle truly began as soon as the Jade Falcon forces entered short-range sensor range, and Priam Company scattered for nearby rocky bluffs. This allowed them to take cover from weapons fire, and limited the enemy target options. Shortly after the Jade Falcons occupied Salmacis Base, Commander Garrido issued an order for "Overlord" to fire for effect. The resultant artillery salvo landed in volatile ammunition stores which had been brought to the surface and disguised as ordinary supply containers being abandoned in a hurry. Despite the vivid show, this was little more than a flashy way of letting the Clans know they were free to dispense with honorable conduct.
A short, but brutal battle followed as Clan 'Mechs began trying to hunt down and destroy apparent Priam Company command 'Mechs. This focus wound up being to the detriment of the Jade Falcon Guard, as there were far more 'Mechs belonging to Priam Company than those of the Clan forces. Only superior technology saved them from a swift initial exchange of fire, though one by one the invaders fell victim to concentrated firepower. Several of the mercenary 'MechWarriors opted to make for the evacuation points, believing their 'Mechs would be ineffective in the fight and only be easy pickings for the invaders. Commander Garrido granted these requests, and wanted attention kept on the active combatants rather than the escaping units.
The presence of Elemental Points changed the tempo of the battle, as they were capable of launching devastating missile salvos into unsuspecting 'Mechs or vehicles. This was demonstrated on a Condor hover tank, destroying it completely in a single barrage. On top of this, an Awesome Assault-class BattleMech found itself swarmed by the armored infantry, which were equipped with magnetic grips. After this, Commander Garrido advised her forces to avoid getting too close to the Elementals, and keep an assumed safe distance of 100 meters.
The battle ground down to an apparent stalemate after several minutes of exchanged fire, leaving only Clan Elementals active on their side of the engagement. They grudgingly retreated, recognizing their deaths would be meaningless (and honorless) if the mercenaries continued to pick them off. Shortly after the Elementals began their retreat, Priam Company began to move all remaining BattleMechs to the evacuation while requesting assistance sweeping for survivors and whatever salvage could be swiftly plucked from the battlefield.
Outcome
"You know, I rather expected this to turn out worse."As a result of both considerable luck and exploiting the tunnel-vision of Clan warriors, Priam Company managed to cover the evacuation of civilians to the Helpers' DropShips. Furthermore, they were able to escape with minimal losses. While only one 'Mech and vehicle were destroyed, there were no other notable casualties. The death of a 'MechWarror and vehicle crew stung, but it was noted it easily could have been far worse. Specialist "Vandal" Grey almost lost his 'Mech under the relentless assault he faced, only surviving as the enemy 'Mech fell victim to being vastly outnumbered. Using JumpShips provided by Hatchy's Helpers and Rysel Industries, Priam Company escaped destruction at the cost of their base of operations.
"Can we not tempt Murphy, sir? We still withdrew rather than savor victory."
Suffering a worse fate was the Echo Trinary, having lost all five OmniMechs dispatched to the field of battle. Later on, two of those OmniMechs would be recovered needing serious repairs while it was noted Priam Company made off with the other three 'Mechs. Two Clan warriors were taken captive as well, which is seen as a grim fate. The Elementals fared much better, with only a fraction of their number being killed; their advanced armor meant they took a great many hits which would otherwise have been lethal. Despite the victory of Priam Company, the planet of Twycross would now fall under Clan Jade Falcon's control.
Aftermath
Priam Company would leverage their success into some notoriety as one of the few mercenary commands to face the Clan war machine and live to tell the tale. Their possession of three Clan 'Mechs was challenged more than once, as it was deemed essential to study the technology for intelligence purposes. In the end, a team of technicians were allowed to study the 'Mechs and take copious notes while the mercenaries retreated to their training base on Phalan. Ownership was allowed to remain with Priam Company, though they would find it impossible to make the 'Mechs combat worthy due to a lack of compatible parts.
The successful rescue of the civilians emboldened Captain Hatchy to return again for more once Priam Company was safely away, and she successfully managed one more trip before it was judged too hazardous to attempt further rescue operations. The civilians were relocated to systems hopefully out of the path of the invasion, though time proved it was only giving them a few months of peace before needing to flee again. As she learned more about Priam Company, the outfit became one she kept an eye on in the future.
The Lord Commander finished giving Priam Company transportation to Phalan before departing and returning to his own business. Records are inconclusive about what this entailed, but records are also unable to pinpoint exactly where "Zathras" is within the Inner Sphere. Rumors suggest it is a rimward Periphery territory, which explains why it is unknown, but all knowledge of the system is fraught with vague memories and unfortunate assumptions.
The successful rescue of the civilians emboldened Captain Hatchy to return again for more once Priam Company was safely away, and she successfully managed one more trip before it was judged too hazardous to attempt further rescue operations. The civilians were relocated to systems hopefully out of the path of the invasion, though time proved it was only giving them a few months of peace before needing to flee again. As she learned more about Priam Company, the outfit became one she kept an eye on in the future.
The Lord Commander finished giving Priam Company transportation to Phalan before departing and returning to his own business. Records are inconclusive about what this entailed, but records are also unable to pinpoint exactly where "Zathras" is within the Inner Sphere. Rumors suggest it is a rimward Periphery territory, which explains why it is unknown, but all knowledge of the system is fraught with vague memories and unfortunate assumptions.
Belligerents
Priam Company
Jade Falcon Guards
Strength
Priam Company
21 BattleMechs
4 Combat Vehicles
4 Non-Combat Vehicles
Lord Commander of Zathras
"Overlord", Fortress-Class DropShip
Rysel Security Forces
4 BattleMechs
4 Combat Vehicles
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